London Knights players relish OHL championship rings

Knights' OHL Championship ring awarded to the team during a press conference Thursday Aug 22, 2013 at Budweiser Gardens in London, Ont. This is Scott Harrington's ring, each is appraised at over $3,000. (MIKE HENSEN, The London Free Press)

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In one Thursday evening, the London Knights handed out their 2012-13 hardware, received their OHL champion rings, unveiled a spiffy white sweater and confirmed the signing of top draft pick Mitch Marner.

There was only one thing out of whack.

Big Russian defenceman Nikita Zadorov, the Knights rookie of the year, wasn’t allowed to pick up his ring or see his old pals. The Sabres first-rounder is working out in Buffalo, unable to cross the border into Canada until his Canadian visa arrives.

He is at the mercy of a Canadian Foreign Service strike and in the same boat as a number of Russian junior hockey players expecting to play in the Canadian Hockey League this season.

London GM Mark Hunter is hopeful the paperwork will be approved before the opening of Knights’ training camp Tuesday.

“He should be OK,” Hunter said. “I talked to Rolly Hedges (Zadorov’s agent) and he’s had a couple of visas done. There’s a strike, what are you going to do? He’ll stay in Buffalo until it gets sorted out.”

Zadorov’s U.S. visa is good until 2017, but the Canadian one was in the process of being renewed this summer.

“Right now, we’re kind of waiting,” London assistant GM Rob Simpson said. “Different countries have different rules about extended stays in Canada and there’s some things going on with the Canadian embassy in Moscow. He’s had his application in for over a month.

“They’re slowly getting passports done and we’re hopeful it gets done soon and he can be here.”

The Knights wrote a letter for the 6-foot-5 Zadorov in a last-ditch effort to get him here in time for Thursday’s festivities.

“It’s too bad he can’t be here,” Simpson said. “You never know if you’re going to win something like this again. But we understand they have things going on over there (in Russia) and he’s in Buffalo until he gets the visa and then we’ll go down there and pick him up.”

Knights veteran and fellow import defenceman Olli Maatta, who returned to London a week ago, said the team and the agent work together to put together a visa application.

“It’s something (a player) can’t really do anything about,” said the native of Jyvaskyla, Finland, who turned 19 on Thursday. “I hope Nikita can get here soon. He’s an awesome guy and we all wanted to see him and be a part of this and get his ring.”

Both Maatta, a Penguins first-rounder, and Zadorov are longshots to make the NHL this season, but Maatta sees no problem with a third year in London and a fourth go-round with the Finnish world junior team.

“I think I have the best spot of anybody,” he said. “I have every chance to make the NHL and if not, I have the best chance to play here, play all kinds of games, go to the Memorial Cup again. I don’t know who else has that kind of chance.

“It doesn’t matter where I’ll play, I’m pretty sure I’ll improve.”

No one made bigger progress in his time with the Knights than hometown hero Tommy Hughes. When the sturdy defenceman heads to New York Rangers camp and into the pro ranks this year, he will be taking a strange, new step in his hockey life.

“I’ve always lived five minutes from the rink in London,” the 21-year-old said. “I’ve never moved out of home before so we’ll see how it goes. The goal is (to play for Hartford in the American Hockey League), but it’s all up in the air right now. You’re never sure what the organization is going to do.”

He knows one thing; he’ll always feel at home at Budweiser Gardens.

“Just even being back this week, you realize how important they take their alumni. Once you’re in the Knights family, you’re always in it. It was 31/2 great years and we won two (OHL titles).

There’s no words to describe it.”

The Knights got Marner, who will wear No. 93 this year, to model their new white sweater. It’s a take-off of the green “third jersey” from London’s last Memorial Cup in 2005 and stood as a national symbol for the franchise’s success that year.

This new white sweater and the green one from the last two seasons will serve as the home-and-away threads this year. The black sweaters with the old Knights logo from last year will serve as the alternate “third” jerseys and the cream-coloured ones will be shelved.